Use extreme care when installing LGA 1366 or LGA 1156 processors. The CPU socket pins are very fragile and are easily damaged. Be very careful not to accidentally touch the pins with your fingers, parts, or tools.

Intel redesigned the CPU socket for LGA 1156. Observe the CPU socket keys and the CPU key openings to determine the orientation of the CPU in the socket. Carefully place the CPU into the socket, making sure the keys are inside of the key openings. Close the CPU retainer and place the edge of the retainer under the lug located on the motherboard. Carefully lower the locking lever, if there is too much resistance, stop and recheck that the CPU is positioned properly. There will be quite a bit of resistance.

Prep the CPU by cleaning the surface with isopropyl alcohol and a lint free cloth.

Prep the cooler base by cleaning the surface with isopropyl alcohol and a lint free cloth.

Telling how to install the cooler sounds a lot more complicated than it really is. It ends up being pretty simple, and after all is done, the cooler is very secure.

Secure the baseplate. Observe the holes on the outer corners of the baseplate, you will see that the openings have three different holes. The outer hole is for LGA 1366, the center is for LGA 1156, and the inner one is for LGA 775. I will be using the center holes.

Secure the four threaded rivets and four rubber O-rings. Place a rivet through the proper hole and secure with an O-ring. Repeat with the other three threaded rivets.

Place the baseplate with the threaded rivets facing up on a table or desk. Set the motherboard over the baseplate with the rivets through the cooler mounting holes.

Secure the four double-ended studs. Screw the short ends into the threaded rivets, hand-tighten only.

Apply thermal compound at this time. Prolimatech recommends applying compound to both the CPU and cooler base, and spread each with a credit card or other thin flat item. Spread very thin if you put compound on both surfaces (if you notice in the photo, I applied compound before mounting the aluminum strip adapters. I recommend applying the compound first).

Secure the two aluminum strip adapters. They are the two aluminum bars that are alike, there is a third that looks a little different. With the grooves facing upward, place them over the double-ended studs. They will go across the sides that the cooler will be facing and the open sides will be perpendicular to the way the cooler will be facing. They are wrong in the photo.

Secure the four thumbnuts and screw them onto the double-ended studs. Finger tighten only.

Place the cooler onto the CPU surface. I always press it down and wiggle it slightly to eliminate any bubbles in the compound. Observe the cooler mounting plate, there are two pins, they will fit into the two corresponding holes in the top of the base. Line the holes up with the holes in the aluminum strip adapters. Start each one of the spring-loaded screws, then alternately tighten each one a turn or so until both are tight.

The fan I used was a Cooler Master PWM fan designed for CPU coolers. Secure a pair of the fan mounting clips and the fan. Place the fan. Take a clip, insert the long side into one of the grooves in the side of the cooler radiator. Place the ends of the clip into the screw holes on the outside of the fan. Repeat with the other side. If you are installing a second fan, do it the same way.

Connect the fan power connector to the CPU_FAN connector on the motherboard. Finish building the rig and you're done.